Scale and rural compatibility
The proposed acreage and industrial intensity are unusually large for a rural area of farms, forests, homes, and small communities.
The current proposal
Project Delta, in plain language.
What is publicly identified, what remains undisclosed, what the applicant proposes, and why residents are asking for closer review.
Project parties and filing facts
What the current record identifies.
Unknown or incomplete items are labeled rather than guessed. The conceptual filing may change during review.
- Applicants / Property Owners:
- DFC Stokes, LLC and DFC Stokes 2, LLC
- Developer:
- Engineered Land Solutions (ELS)
- Project Manager / Public Project Lead:
- Drew Nations, President and CEO of Engineered Land Solutions
- End User of the Data Center:
- Not publicly identified
- Location:
- Parcels near U.S. Highway 311, Tuttle Road, Coon Joyce Road, and the Dan River near Walnut Cove
- Site Area:
- Approximately 1,848.741 acres
- Buildings:
- Multiple data-center buildings and accessory structures; the current filing does not specify a final building count
- Combined Gross Floor Area:
- Not specified in the current July 2026 filing
- Maximum Height:
- 80 feet for principal buildings; specified mechanical, communications, utility, and safety appurtenances may extend higher
- Utility Infrastructure:
- Proposed accessory uses include substations, electrical and natural-gas infrastructure, fiber, backup generation, batteries, equipment yards, fuel and water storage, and related systems
- Intended Use:
- A data-center campus for storing, retrieving, managing, and processing digital data, with associated infrastructure and accessory uses
- Requested Zoning:
- Residential-Agricultural (R-A) to Heavy Manufacturing Conditional Zoning (M-2-CZ)
Important distinction: The project website’s job, revenue, infrastructure, water, traffic, and environmental statements are applicant claims. The county filing and any final adopted conditions determine what is actually requested or legally enforceable.
Why residents are concerned
The questions extend beyond one zoning label.
Residents have raised concerns about the project’s cumulative, long-term effects and the amount of information still unavailable before a final decision.
Electric demand and customer costs
Residents want independently reviewed load projections, upgrade responsibilities, rate protections, backup-generation details, and disclosure of who bears stranded-cost risk.
Noise and backup generation
Questions remain about cumulative low-frequency sound, generator testing, emergencies, complaint response, continuous monitoring, and enforceable remedies.
Water, waterways, and stormwater
Residents are asking how cooling, construction, impervious surface, erosion, runoff, floodplain limits, groundwater, and the Dan River will be protected over full buildout.
Air quality and public health
Backup power, construction activity, heat, emissions, and combined industrial burdens are among the health-related issues residents want analyzed before approval.
History and cultural resources
The surrounding landscape is tied to Saura history, Black farming communities, the Hairston and Bailey families, cemeteries, archaeology, and the county’s rural identity.
Economic assumptions
Residents want transparent calculations for tax revenue, jobs, incentives, depreciation, public-service costs, utility investments, and the timeline for reaching full buildout.
Unknown operator and final design
The end user, final building program, combined floor area, full power demand, construction phasing, and some operating details have not been publicly identified.
Enforcement and accountability
Proposed conditions matter only if they are measurable, independently verified, publicly reported, enforceable, and paired with effective remedies for noncompliance.
What residents can do now
Take a clear next step.
Choose one action—or several—to help neighbors follow the record and participate in the public process.
Sign the main petition
Add your name to Protect Stokes County! Reject Project Delta!
Take this step ↗Review the existing petition
See the No Data Center in Walnut Cove petition and its community support.
Take this step ↗Contact commissioners
Call or email each member of the Stokes County Board of Commissioners.
Take this step →Attend a public meeting
Check upcoming Board of Commissioners dates, agendas, and packets.
Take this step →Share with neighbors
Use the share button to send this page to people across Stokes County.
Get involved
Send a message to the leaders of Stokes County Strong, Data Center Wrong.
Take this step →Stay civil and peaceful.
Passionate advocacy never justifies hateful rhetoric, harassment, threats, or political violence.
Read both the filing and the claims
Go directly to the source documents.
Official county filing
Application, proposed conditions, buffer exhibit, conceptual site plan, meeting report, and parcel materials.
Open county materials ↗Developer position
Project Delta’s website presents the developer’s benefits, commitments, FAQs, and economic projections.
Open developer website ↗Full document library
Search official records, reporting, advocacy resources, planning documents, maps, petitions, and video links.
Search the library